In-cosmetics Global 2026: Ashland showcases multifunctional rheology modifier and super-wetter
15 May 2026 | Ashland
Nuria Vallespi Salvado, senior marketing manager EMEA at Ashland, explored how the company’s multifunctional starch and super-wetters platforms accelerate innovation in skin and hair care. She highlighted Stabileze S Polymer’s versatile formulation benefits, Easy-Hance’s performance in wetting and surface interaction, and N-Hance CCG 75’s clear, lightweight conditioning.
This is Sabina Waldeck for Personal care Insights at In Cosmetics Global 2026, joined by Nuria Vallespi Salvado, senior marketing manager Emia for Ashland.
Welcome.
Thank you very much.
So Ashland's new ingredients come from distinct technology platforms like the multi-functional starch and Super Wetters platform.
How do these platforms support faster, more effective innovation in skin and haircare?
So the strategy of the innovation platforms of Iceland is about how we leverage the strong knowledge that we have from polymer science from our legacy, a strong legacy that we have and how is this used in a more modular and cuscustomizable way so basically.
We tweak, we're able to tweak molecules and to link that to the different performance that the molecule is going to give and link that then to the different needs that we have that we know that that that the different markets where we play are expecting, right?
So at the end of the day what it does, how this helps to customers is that they have they have access to a broader toolbox that is predictable.
Once they get used and they get familiar with the specific platform, they can they can predict the performance of the different molecules that that they have in the toolbox.
So that accelerates the innovation because they can go in a more quicker way from the concept to a to a scale up basically right to a concept to prototype and from prototype to scale up.
One thing that is really fueling and accelerating innovation within Iceland is cross fertilization.
These innovation platforms are not just for personal care, they are common for all the different business units of Iceland.
So if there is a development or an experience that is made by a.
Or, pharma team or agri team, these are learnings that then can be translated also and adopted in personal care and a great example is our super wetter innovation platform which is one of the platforms that we are presenting today, with the product Easy Hands.
This is a platform that the technology started with our, surface science group and that was has been then translated into hair care.
And so with easy hands we are targeting them we are answering, giving an answer to a problem that's we see in the market which is a trend which is how to improve hair routines of texture hair and so you see with with this super wetting platform we are then now yeah with now reflecting that in this new product which is Easy hands.
And stabilizes polymer is a nature derived biology modifier with broad application potential.
What key formulation benefits can formulators achieve with the polymer?
So before talking about the benefits, let me tell you about what are the problems that we are addressing here.
So we see for our customers of the skin hair, we know that customers want to have more natural products.
But of course they want to continue having the same performance of fossil derived the fossil derived conventional products, and for formulators then it's it's a struggle because they obviously want to do this, but it's not it's not easy to find a way, a simple way to achieve this naturality and still have this very nice texture.
With Stabilizes, what, what we are doing, this is Stabilizes is one of the of the of the products that we are introducing of the new products that we're introducing in in this in cosmetics, it's a starts from our or or it's actually our first innovation, , commercial innovation from the multifunctional starts platform.
Establis is sorry stabilizes stabilize S is not just a rheology modifier and it's also not just a starch.
It is not just a starch because it's a new to the world chemistry and because it's one single polymer, it's not a blend and it's not just a rheological modifier because it's multifunctional.
It has three functions in one.
It controls viscosity in a very versatile way from very light products that are sprayable to more thicker battery products.
It also suspends and it also stabilizes the emulsion.
In a simple way, all this giving a very nice texture, really you cannot see the difference between the texture, the viscosity that stability the stabilizes gives to the one that an acrylate-based product would give.
So in a nutshell with stabilizes.
One of the issues that formulators have been, have been having for, for, for years and, and they were looking for a solution.
So now they have this solution and it's basically they they can achieve this very nice, texture like, with fossil derived products in a very simple way and with a natural product.
And then wedding and service interaction are critical in many personal care formats.
How does Easy Hands from your super wedders platform address these performance needs, right, so.
Surface wetting and surface interactions are very important in hair care.
They are crucial and often underestimated.
And this is especially true with difficult to wet hair, like textture hair.
Texture hair is different than straight hair.
It has a different, different structure, and, it, it is much more porous and it does not have a lot of moisture retention, so it makes it very difficult to weld.
So that means that, when, in a, in a hair care product, sometimes the, conditioner, polymers and and actives sometimes don't even get the chance to do their job because the hair was not properly wet.
With easy hands, easy hands is a super wetter from our super wetter technology platform.
It reduces surfestation of the water and it improves the, the, the penetration of the water to all the fiber of the hair and allows then the conditioner polymer and the active to do their job.
So first wet and then the hair is conditioned.
So what does it mean then for the user?
The consumer sees these benefits immediately.
It has a quick a quick action and it's perceived by the by the consumer.
As the product then it gives the the full product gives an improved on the on the moisturization of of the hair also decrease of frieze better curl definition, improvement on the detangling and all all in all a reduction on the time for the whole hair routine.
This is for the consumer, but for the formulator, what they are going to see is as the formulation has become much more efficient, they can reduce the amount of silicons, actives, or oils, making translating this into a reduction of cost of up to 40%.
Depending on the formulation.
And then enhanced CCG 75 aims to deliver clear lightweight conditioning.
Are you seeing how, how are you seeing this play into current trends for transparent, sustainable shampoo and cleanser formulations?
Right?
So Enhanced CCG 75, which is another one, another product that we we are launching that we are presenting.
In cosmetics then this picks up to a new trend that we see in the market for real soft products and is customers want to see consumers want to see more transparent products.
They want to see more transparent products, but they also want to have more natural products, and they, of course, they don't want to give up again to the performance that I used to with more conventional, with conventional products, fossil derived.
And and this is where we have a bit of a situation because conventional products are not natural and and they are not transparent, they are opaque whereas natural products they are not very good at conditioning and not always really biodegradable.
With enhanced CCG 75, which is a cationic, is a, is a clear cationic wire, we are, giving a solution to this, to this problem because this is a natural product.
It's a wire, it's biodegradable.
It is a good conditioner giving medium to high conditioning, and it allows you to formulate clear, crystal clear shampoos, body washes, and conditioners.
In addition to that, the wire that is used in the product is sourced through our responsible sourcing program that we have in India.
So this is really an example of how Iceland is integrating sustainability into the product design.
And then lastly, how is Ashland helping brands move towards sustainability without compromising on performance?
So at Ashland, sustainability is not a constraint.
It is a part of the design, as I was saying.
So it all starts with when we're working on innovation.
It's about what does the customer need.
Reality modification, , suspension, and this is non-negotiable, and then sustainability is engineered into the technical solution.
So we are not talking only about INI, the, the II list, but we are talking, we're going beyond that because we're talking about responsible sourcing.
We're talking about res resilience of the supply chain, bioavailability, ecotox.
CCT it is all taken into account.
So we have our R&D team is working very closely with our sourcing specialists and with with our governance and environmental team.
So making sure that innovations are aligned with the regulator regulations from the future but also with the sustainability commitments that we have as a brand.
Perfect.
And thank you for joining Personal Care Insights.
Thank you very much.
